View source for Matt Snell

{{Short description|American football player (born 1941)}}
{{about|the athlete|the musician|Matt Snell (musician)}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name          = Matt Snell
| image         =
| image_size    = 
| alt           = 
| caption       = 
| number        = 41
| position      = [[Running back]]
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1941|8|18}}
| birth_place   = [[Garfield, Georgia]], U.S.
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| height_ft     = 6
| height_in     = 2
| weight_lbs    = 219
| high_school   = [[Carle Place High School|Carle Place]] {{nowrap|([[North Hempstead, New York]])}}
| college       = [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]]
| afldraftyear  = 1964
| afldraftround = 1
| afldraftpick  = 3
| draftyear     = 1964
| draftround    = 4
| draftpick     = 49
| pastteams     =
* [[New York Jets]] ([[1964 American Football League season|1964]]–{{NFL Year|1972}})
| highlights    =
* [[Super Bowl champion]] ([[Super Bowl III|III]])
* [[AFL champion]] ([[1968 AFL Championship Game|1968]])
* [[American Football League Rookies of the Year|AFL Rookie of the Year]] (1964)
* First-team [[All-AFL]] ([[American Football League All-League Teams|1969]])
* 3× Second-team All-AFL ([[1964 All-AFL Team|1964]], [[1965 All-AFL Team|1965]], [[1968 All-AFL Team|1968]])
* 3× [[American Football League All-Star game|AFL All-Star]] (1964, 1966, 1969)
* [[New York Jets Ring of Honor]]
* [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|National champion]] ([[1961 Ohio State Buckeyes football team|1961]])
* Second-team [[List of All-Big Ten Conference football teams|All-Big Ten]] ([[1962 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1962]])
| statlabel1    = Rushing yards
| statvalue1    = 4,287
| statlabel2    = Rush attempts
| statvalue2    = 1,057
| statlabel3    = Rushing [[Touchdown|TDs]]
| statvalue3    = 24
| statlabel4    = Receiving yards
| statvalue4    = 1,375
| statlabel5    = Receptions
| statvalue5    = 193
| statlabel6    = Games played
| statvalue6    = 86
| pfr           = S/SnelMa00 
}}
'''Matthews Snell''' (born August 18, 1941) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[running back]] for the [[New York Jets]] of the [[American Football League]] (AFL) and [[National Football League]] (NFL). He was Jets' owner [[Sonny Werblin]]'s first coup, prior to his 1965 acquisition of [[Joe Namath]].  A powerful fullback out of [[Ohio State University]], Snell's 1964 signing jolted the crosstown Giants, who didn't draft Snell until the fourth round, and offered him a fraction of what the Jets gave him as their first-round choice.

==Early life==
Born to Isaac and Annie,<ref name="times">{{Cite news |last=Harvin |first=Al |date=March 23, 1973 |title=Injuries Force Snell to Quit Football |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/23/archives/injuries-force-snell-to-quit-football-snell-of-jets-quits-football.html}}</ref> Snell attended [[Carle Place High School]] in the one-square-mile town of [[Carle Place, New York]], where his picture resides in the Carle Place High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Snell played right halfback on a team that lost only two games while he started. He was awarded ''[[Newsday]]''{{'}}s Thorp Award for 1959 as the outstanding high school football player in [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]].

At [[Ohio State University]], Snell was a three-year [[starting lineup|starter]] and a consummate team player, active on both sides of the ball. In 1961, he played right halfback, often blocking for fullback [[Bob Ferguson (American football player)|Bob Ferguson]] or left halfback [[Paul Warfield]].  In 1962, Snell was moved to [[defensive end]]. In 1963, Snell's senior year, he was named starting fullback, going on to rush for 491 yards and 5 touchdowns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Matt Snell College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/matt-snell-1.html |access-date=2025-07-31 |website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> At the end of his senior season, Snell was named his team's most valuable player.

Snell was named to the [[Ohio State Football All-Century Team]] in 2000 as a defensive end.

==Football career==
In his rookie year with the New York Jets, Snell rushed for a team-record 180 yards against the [[Houston Oilers]] on his way to a 945-yard season and [[American Football League Rookies of the Year|AFL Rookie of the Year]] honors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AP AFL Rookie of the Year Winners |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/awards/ap-afl-rookie-of-the-year-award.htm |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Snell went on to become an [[American Football League|AFL]] [[American Football League All-Star games|Eastern Division All-Star]] in [[1964 AFL season|1964]] and [[1966 AFL season|1966]], and the ''[[Sporting News]]'' [[American Football League All-League Teams|All-AFL]] fullback in [[1969 AFL season|1969]].

Snell's defining moment came in [[Super Bowl III]] when the AFL champion Jets played the heavily favored NFL champion [[History of the Indianapolis Colts|Baltimore Colts]]. Although slowed by knee injuries, Snell was a key player in the Jets' ball-control offense during the 16–7 upset victory. He carried the ball 30 times for a then-[[Super Bowl]] record of 121 yards, and in the second quarter went four yards around left end to score the Jets' only touchdown, a score that marked the first time an AFL team had led in a [[Super Bowl]]. He also helped set up a trio of [[Jim Turner (placekicker)|Jim Turner]] field goals that finally put the game away for the Jets in the second half, securing the AFL's first Super Bowl win in the league's penultimate season.

During his career, Snell was well known for his rushing, but also became an important part of the Jets' pass-blocking scheme. Toward the end of his career, Snell became one of the first third-down specialty backs, primarily because he was so good at protecting Joe Namath. He was also reported to have helped teach pass-blocking to Jets running backs during his career.

Snell suffered multiple injuries in his career, including torn knee [[cartilage]] in 1967 and a torn [[Achilles tendon]] in 1970. In 1971, he hurt his knee in the preseason and was diagnosed with a severe "knee bruise" and missed nine games. In 1972, in Week 4 versus the [[Miami Dolphins]], he suffered a ruptured spleen. The injury was so severe that his spleen had to be removed, ending his season. He decided right then that he couldn't play anymore, though he didn't formally announce his retirement until the following March.<ref name="times" /> He only played in a total of 12 games in what would be his final three seasons.

==Post-football==
In 1973, Snell appeared in the first [[Miller Lite]] beer commercial. According to the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', "The campaign would feature a collection of middle-aged sports stars and become something of a status symbol for retired athletes for the next 17 years."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ryan |first=Joan |date=August 2, 1995 |title=Here Comes The Pitch |work=SF Gate |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/JOAN-RYAN-Here-Comes-The-Pitch-3028226.php}}</ref>

After his playing career in 1973, he sold his restaurant, Matt Snell's Fifth Down, to focus on his new company, Defco Securities, Inc. (of which he is one of the four partners).<ref name="times" />

Snell and [[Emerson Boozer]] were inducted into the Jets' [[New York Jets#Ring of Honor|Ring of Honor]] on November 29, 2015, because they were partners in each other's success and that of the team. Snell did not accept the Jets' invitation to participate in the ceremony at MetLife Stadium, just as he consistently has refused the club's invitations to other alumni events for unspecified reasons ever since he retired.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cosentino |first=Dom |date=November 29, 2015 |title=Emerson Boozer, Matt Snell to enter Jets Ring of Honor on Sunday |url=https://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/11/emerson_boozer_matt_snell_to_enter_jets_ring_of_ho.html |publisher=NJ.com}}</ref> In 2018, Snell revealed that the reason he hasn't spoken to the Jets was because the team's owner at the time he left, [[Leon Hess]], refused to give him a reference for a future job in spite of both being promised he would receive one, and in spite of his work to build the team's success over his professional football career.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lederer |first=Bob |title=Beyond Broadway Joe : The Super Bowl team that changed football |date=September 11, 2018 |publisher=Dey Street Books |isbn=978-0062798046}}</ref>

==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="2"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"|
| Won the [[Super Bowl]]
|-
| '''Bold'''
| Career high
|}

{| class= "wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="2"| Games
! colspan="6"| Rushing
! colspan="5"| Receiving
! colspan="2"| Fumbles
|-
! GP !! GS !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Y/G !! Lng !! TD !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Fum !! FR
|-
! [[1964 American Football League season|1964]] || [[1964 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| '''14''' || '''14''' || '''215''' || '''948''' || 4.4 || 67.7 || 42 || 5 || '''56''' || '''393''' || 7.0 || 41 || 1 || 0 || 0
|-
! [[1965 American Football League season|1965]] || [[1965 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 13 || 13 || 169 || 763 || '''4.5''' || 58.7 || 44 || 4 || 38 || 264 || 6.9 || 35 || 0 || 3 || 0
|-
! [[1966 American Football League season|1966]] || [[1966 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 12 || 12 || 178 || 644 || 3.6 || 53.7 || 25 || 4 || 48 || 346 || 7.2 || 25 || '''4''' || 3 || 0
|-
! [[1967 American Football League season|1967]] || [[1967 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 7 || 5 || 61 || 207 || 3.4 || 29.6 || 13 || 0 || 11 || 54 || 4.9 || 21 || 0 || 2 || 0  
|-
! [[1968 American Football League season|1968]] || style="background:#afe6ba;"|[[1968 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| '''14''' || '''14''' || 179 || 747 || 4.2 || 53.4 || 60 || '''6''' || 16 || 105 || 6.6 || 39 || 1 || 2 || '''1'''
|-
! [[1969 American Football League season|1969]] || [[1969 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| '''14''' || 13 || 191 || 695 || 3.6 || 49.6 || 34 || 4 || 22 || 187 || 8.5 || 54 || 1 || '''5''' || '''1'''
|-
! [[1970 NFL season|1970]] || [[1970 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 3 || 3 || 64 || 281 || 4.4 || '''93.7''' || 19 || 1 || 2 || 26 || '''13.0''' || 27 || 0 || 2 || 0 
|-
! [[1971 NFL season|1971]]|| [[1971 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 5 || 0 || colspan="13"|''did not record any stats''
|-
! [[1972 NFL season|1972]] || [[1972 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 4 || 0 || colspan="13"|''did not record any stats''
|-
! colspan="2"|[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SnelMa00.htm Career] || 86 || 74 || 1,057 || 4,285 || 4.1 || 49.8 || 60 || 24 || 193 || 1,375 || 7.1 || 54 || 7 || 17 || 2
|}

==Personal life==

Snell lives in [[New Rochelle, New York]]<ref name="times" /> with his wife Sharon, son Beau and daughter Jada. His grandson Donte played football for [[Holy Cross High School (Flushing)|Holy Cross High School]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Donte Snell |url=http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/donte-snell/KEKbZ0JaEeS00gAmVebEWg/default.htm |access-date=July 18, 2016 |website=maxpreps.com}}</ref> He is a partner in DEFCO Securities, Inc. and owns a restaurant in [[New York City]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=New York Jets player biography |url=http://www.newyorkjets.com/team/all_time/player/711-matt-snell |website=newyorkjets.com |access-date=October 18, 2009 |archive-date=December 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208052215/http://www.newyorkjets.com/team/all_time/player/711-matt-snell |url-status=dead }}</ref> He is the first cousin, twice removed of running back [[Benny Snell]], with Benny Snell's grandfather being his first cousin.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hale |first=Jon |date=October 14, 2016 |title=UK's Snell carrying on family legacy at RB |url=http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2016/10/14/uks-snell-carrying-family-legacy-rb/92028018/ |access-date=2021-08-12 |website=The Courier-Journal}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of American Football League players]]
{{Portal bar|American football}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Cite book |last=Curran |first=Bob |title=The $400,000 Quarterback, or: The League That Came in From the Cold |publisher=Macmillan & Company, Inc |year=1965 |isbn=0-8118-2276-1 |location=New York, New York}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gruver |first=Ed |title=The American Football League: A Year-By-Year History, 1960-1969 |publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc |year=1997 |isbn=0-7864-0399-3 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box | title=[[American Football League Rookies of the Year|American Football League <br /> Rookie of the Year]] <br /> 1964 | before=[[Billy Joe (football player)|Billy Joe]]  | after=[[Joe Namath]] | years=}}
{{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Snell, Matt}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American football running backs]]
[[Category:New York Jets players]]
[[Category:Ohio State Buckeyes football players]]
[[Category:American Football League All-Star players]]
[[Category:American Football League All-League players]]
[[Category:American Football League Rookies of the Year]]
[[Category:People from Emanuel County, Georgia]]
[[Category:Players of American football from New Rochelle, New York]]
[[Category:American Football League players]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Carle Place High School alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportsmen]]